Anthony Bumhira

Anthony Bumhira

Anthony Bumhira was born in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe.

Known for producing semi-abstract, large-scale art, Bumhira uses doilies and other innovative materials that have a personal and spiritual connection.

In Zimbabwe, the doily is a familiar household object. It adorns the living room sofas of many urban homes. Yet for Bumhira the inclusion of the doily is particularly significant. He is part of a doily generation: those who were raised by hard-working mothers whose doily stitches were sold through cross-border trade in order to put food on the table.

Another common element in Bumhira’s practice is the use of blankets instead of canvas. This material is universally understood as a source of shelter, intimacy, and vulnerability. In Zimbabwe, it is also used to protect your baby from the elements or to wrap the dead. Thus the use of blankets in Bumhira’s work has profound spiritual implications. Here, the intertwined realms of the living and the dead are expressed through a combination of traditional painting styles and the experimental use of materials.